The speaker was none other than Bai Yu, the Sect Master of Luoshen Mountain.
With Luoshen Mountain taking the lead, the other sects and royal families seemed to find their direction. They quickly discussed among themselves and each settled on a rough plan.
For those whose business paths overlapped, they agreed to hold private meetings later to finalize the details.
With the main business matters decided, they felt more at ease and began to chat leisurely.
One person remarked, "Looking at this price list, we all know how inexpensive it is. Yet, Lingxian Sect didn't aim to monopolize the entire mortal world market. Instead, they're selling to us at these low prices, building a commercial district and leasing shopfronts so we can also make a profit. They're openly sharing the benefits with us."
"Indeed, since Lingxian Sect has shown such goodwill, we should follow their lead and help develop this commercial district. That way, everyone wins," another voice chimed in.
Han Shangyi, the Sect Master of Qinghe Sect, then spoke up: "To ensure Shuishui City's commercial district develops quickly and to make our own shops more prosperous, why don't we send some of our spare personnel to spread the word outside?"
Hearing this, many people nodded in agreement.
"Fellow Daoist is right."
"If cultivators from other sects and nations come to Shuishui City to purchase resources, then we could..." A certain elder was so excited that his hand, which had been stroking his long beard, trembled, causing him to accidentally pull out a hair.
If Lingxian Sect could truly support the massive inflow and outflow of goods, they stood to gain greatly.
Not only would their coffers of spirit stones swell, but their status in the entire mortal world would rise dramatically.
Whether this would succeed or not depended on whether Shuishui City's trade center could fulfill the many orders placed by these sects a month from now!
However, based on the success of the Li family, Qinghe Sect, Yunyan Sect, and Shangyang Sect, the trade center seemed to hold great potential for stability...
Seeing this, many realized they needed to start making internal arrangements early.
The room fell into silence as everyone privately calculated their plans.
While Han Shangyi was mentally communicating with his elders, he suddenly received an unexpected transmission.
As a Nascent Soul cultivator, it wasn't easy for just anyone to send him a message. Only someone with much higher cultivation or a unique method could do so, or... it was his daughter, Han Weishu.
Receiving her transmission, Han Shangyi scanned the room discreetly before clearing his throat and speaking aloud:
"Fellow Daoists, regarding the matter of rogue cultivators, I've suddenly thought of an idea."
The others were puzzled.
No one had been discussing rogue cultivators. Why bring it up now?
Seeing the confusion, Han Shangyi explained: "We typically think of rogue cultivators as low-level, impoverished cultivators with little purchasing power. Most have given up on cultivation and are unlikely to spend their meager spirit stones on cultivation resources. In other words, they're unlikely to become consumers for our future businesses in this commercial district."
The group, still unsure where he was going with this, nodded in agreement.
"That's true. Most rogue cultivators have no hope of advancing. Even if they have some leftover spirit stones, they likely won't spend them on cultivation resources. And if they do, it wouldn't be much."
"Exactly. If they've given up on cultivation, they're more likely to use their remaining resources to live comfortably in the mortal world."
Han Shangyi continued, "But whether it's spirit stones or other resources, anything that we cultivators find useful is of great value in the mortal world. If we use this to our advantage, we could hire many rogue cultivators to work for us."
His statement left everyone momentarily stunned.
One person asked, "Sect Master Han, are you suggesting we hire rogue cultivators to produce goods for the sects so we can take on more orders?"
Han Shangyi shook his head. "Most rogue cultivators are of low cultivation, and few have any notable skills."
After all, if they had valuable skills, they likely wouldn't have ended up as rogue cultivators in the first place.
"We can't rely on them to produce goods, but we can certainly hire them to help with various miscellaneous tasks in our sects and later here in Shuishui City. By doing so, we can free up more of our own skilled personnel. Those who are capable can focus on work, while those who need improvement can dedicate more time and energy to learning," Han Shangyi explained.
"Many rogue cultivators may seem like they've given up, but in reality, their potential isn't as poor as it seems. Often, they're held back by a lack of resources or some misfortune in their cultivation path. If given the opportunity to rise in rank, who wouldn't want to advance?" Han Shangyi spoke passionately. "By employing rogue cultivators, we give them work and spirit stones. They gain a way to accumulate resources, instead of being stuck with no options. Isn't this a long-term solution? What do you all think?"
"Sect Master Han, while your argument is reasonable from the perspective of rogue cultivators, what's in it for us? Why should we spend the spirit stones we earn to hire them? Our own disciples could do this work better and more diligently. Why waste resources on rogue cultivators with no future?" asked a Golden Core cultivator from the royal family of Jin Yuan Kingdom.
Han Shangyi was about to explain, to clarify the distinction and to expound on the importance of a fluid market. He wanted to explain how this approach could foster talent and create a foundation for greater development, how the rich helping the less fortunate could ultimately lead to mutual prosperity.
However, someone spoke before he could.
"Isn't the mortal world stagnant enough already?" The voice came from Bai Yu, Sect Master of Luoshen Mountain.
With just one simple sentence, the room fell into an eerie silence.
Even Han Shangyi, who had been ready to elaborate, remained silent.
Indeed, their mortal world was already stagnant.
It had been stagnant for a long, long time.
Everyone in the room was at least several hundred years old. Since the day they were born, the mortal world had been like this.
Perhaps, in their youth, they had been indignant, filled with righteous anger, wanting to break free from societal shackles and change the world. But as they grew older, as their cultivation and status rose, their perspectives shifted.
Their youthful selves? Just naive and ignorant of the way the world really worked.
Adults, after all, had to deal with things in an adult way.